Luke Harkness, Author at Luke’s Blog

09Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

10 Reasons you NEED a Newsletter on Your Blog from Day One

Starting a newsletter that can grab your audience is one of the crucial elements of owning a blog. Yes, there's social media and if you get a good following on there, it can be a huge win. However, by starting a newsletter, you can retain your audience in a much more personal way and from quite early on. Below are ten great reasons why you should look into starting a newsletter for your blog and promoting it wherever you can. 1. It keeps your audience coming back The number one reason you should start a newsletter from early on is to keep your audience coming back. Whenever you send out an email, you are directly notifying your audience of new content on your blog. If you didn't do this, they…

07Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

There are a lot of action thrillers out on the market - therefore it takes a lot for one to stick out from the others. The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor came out In 2002 before the huge influx and the resulting series has gone on to be one of the most successful in the genre. [caption id="attachment_1088" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] The Lions of Lucerne begins a series featuring one my favourite action heroes in Scot Harvath. In a plot that sees the President of America kidnapped whilst on holiday with his family, we're introduced to not only one of the most skilled heroes but also one of the more believable and funny heroes in any book in this genre. Plot – 4/5 When on a…

05Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness

Book Review: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Book reviews, Classics, Historical Fiction

To Kill A Mockingbird is up there with some of the all-time classic books recommended to anybody who wants to consider themself "well-read". It's a book that takes you through all the range of emotions, teaching you morality and pure kindness along the way. [caption id="attachment_1075" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Originally published in 1960, To Kill A Mockingbird was Harper Lee's first of two books she ever wrote. It is set in Southern America, in Alabama and follows the lives of Jean Louise, the daughter of Atticus Finch and her family and friends. It discusses and covers prejudice in a very gritty and down-to-earth manner and takes you through a story that will see you experience all the emotions. Plot – 5/5 To Kill A Mockingbird follows the…

04Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My honest reaction to the Wheel of Time TV Series teaser trailer

Features, Reactions

So as you all know I'm a huge fantasy fan and one of the biggest and best fantasy series I've read so far is the Wheel of Time books. I'm a big fan of the incredible world that Robert Jordan built which I'd argue hasn't been bettered since. A few days ago Amazon released their first trailer for the upcoming epic TV series based on the books. If you follow the Twitter for the show, they've been posting teaser imagery and some small teaser clips that have kept us fans intrigued but this was the first proper footage we've seen and WOW what a trailer it was. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fus4Xb_TLg The trailer itself is over two minutes long and shows SO much of the show which I loved. Below I've given my…

03Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My 5 Most Successful Blog Posts from August

Features, Monthly Round Ups

This month has seen me not produce quite as many articles as usual as I've been away for quite a few of the days rightfully relaxing from my full-time job working as a Comms Officer in my local hospital. However, there have been some huge books and, as a result, some huge book reviews. There have also been some interesting new articles that I've put out definitely worth visiting. [caption id="attachment_1080" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Do note, the list below are the articles that have been most successful for me that I posted within August. It may interest some of you to know that my Goodreads vs StoryGraph article outperformed all of my articles once again this been month, despite being posted in early July. Please note that…

01Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Five Amazing Books I Finished in August

Book reviews, Features, Monthly Round Ups

Throughout the month of August, I finished off five books, the same as the number of books I read in July. I picked up a couple of YA (young adult) fantasy books that I've been meaning to read in Divergent and I Am Number Four - Divergent impressed me more. As well as these, I finally finished Oathbringer which took me about a month to read and finished the Booker Prize-winning Shuggie Bain and hit of 2018 The Tattooist of Auschwitz. [caption id="attachment_1046" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below to support the blog, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links…

31Aug 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Book reviews, Historical Fiction, Romance

One of the books of 2018, The Tattooist of Auschwitz tells the true tale of Lale and his time in a concentration camp and the finding of his one true love during the second war and the Nazi regime. [caption id="attachment_1039" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a dark tale that I think anybody who reads it will most certainly feel sympathy towards. It’s a story known around the world as one of the darkest times in human history and hearing the account of one victim really hones you into the personal element of something we all know a lot about. Plot – 4/5 Lale finds himself thrown into a concentration camp when the Nazis demand an adult family member join from each family. Quite…

30Aug 2021 by Luke Harkness 1 Comment

Book Review: Killing Floor by Lee Child

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

Killing Floor is the first book in the incredibly well-sold Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. It begins the journey of Reacher as an ex-military policeman who coasts around the world helping people who ask for his aid along the way. [caption id="attachment_1035" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Killing Floor was one of the first action books I read when I got back into reading four years ago. According to my Goodreads, I finished it in February of 2018 and rated it four stars. Having had time to think about it, I’d say this is a fair score based on it being a great start to one of the best-selling action series out there. Plot – 4/5 Killing Floor introduces us to Jack Reacher who is a drifter. He’s…

28Aug 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The 5 Fantasy Books you Must Read

Features

If you hadn't guessed, my favourite genre is fantasy. I love to delve into new worlds, cultures and even inventive new species. Fantasy books are fantastic for escaping and broadening your horizons. Often people don't consider reading fantasy to really be "reading" but the imagination and continued concentration it takes to write about these fantastical things takes an awful lot of brainpower. [caption id="attachment_1030" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] I've read quite some epic fantasy books and so my knowledge of what makes a great one and what makes an average one, I like to think, is quite high. To make a great fantasy novel it needs to have a well-realised world, genuinely interesting characters, no continuity errors and more. Some of these books are higher fantasy than others…

26Aug 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: Altered Carbon by Richard K Morgan

Book reviews, Crime, Sci-Fi

I’m a huge fan of the Cyberpunk science fiction genre. I love a futuristic gritty world where humanity seems to have gone back culturally but technology has advanced significantly. Altered Carbon is one of the best books at this and is accompanied by an in-depth crime story too. [caption id="attachment_1020" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase Altered Carbon via any of the links below, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support the blog. These links to not affect my opinion of the products. Altered Carbon is set four hundred years in the future when humanity has reached other worlds including Mars and people can have their existence uploaded…

Author: Luke Harkness